Forever and a Day
by raiko.EXE
Summary: "Do you think there will be a happy ending for us?" — Talon, Riven, and the things that are promised. [Vignettes]
1. Chapter 1

**i. "I will never leave your side."**

He clings to her, she's noticed.

Talon's embraces were warm and secure, strong arms wrapping around her waist as if to keep her there before kissing her in greeting. The hold would even linger a bit before they parted, but he was always quick to find her hand or any other way to be within physical proximity of her.

Other times he would press his body against hers flush like pages of a book as his hands worked themselves to find her weak spots like swell of her breasts, the flare of her hips, and the dip between her thighs, making her dizzy with pleasure. He'd bury his head in the crook of her neck and inhale her scent, muffling sweet sounds against her skin as she whispered his name and clung to him on her own accord.

And in their quieter moments, he would perform simpler gestures like resting his head on her lap, guiding her head to lean on his shoulder, or placing his hand on her back to show his gratitude towards her, to give her his strength or support, or one of the many other things that were difficult for him to say.

Riven hadn't thought anything of it at first, finding his sense of touch appropriate for a lover. After all, it wasn't like she minded his caresses – it was the complete opposite. But the more time they spent together, the more she realized how uncharacteristic it was of someone as outwardly cold as the Blade's Shadow to always be _touching_ her, consciously or not.

Perhaps, she mused as her thumb traced the curve of his arm that fell sleepily around her middle as his chest rose and fell rhythmically against her back, it was because he hadn't yet experienced a sense of permanence in his life. From what he had disclosed to her, Talon had no memories of his parents, forced to fend for himself in the unforgiving slums of Noxus. He had murdered his closest friend in his youth in order to cleave himself from any sort of interdependence – deeming that the strong relied on no one other than themselves.

It was General Du Couteau and his mercy that had changed Talon's perceptions. Although his service to the family was built on the mercy that had spared his life, he had grown to admire the general and forged bonds with him and his daughters, forming the closest thing to a family he had ever known. And just when he'd realized that the camaraderie of others wasn't as detrimental as the so-called Noxian Way made it out to be, the general had been deemed missing and that sense of security that had been provided by him and his family had been shattered, leaving Talon alone once again.

She curled her smaller hand around his and gave it a firm squeeze. He'd confessed upon their reunion that her disappearance following the invasion of Ionia had struck him harshly as well. She hadn't been sure of what to say then except to apologize. She hadn't thought of those types of repercussions at the time of her self-imposed exile. Although they hadn't been romantically involved at the time, after their days in the Crimson Elite she had grown to consider Talon as a trusted comrade and a dear friend – It had never been her intention to leave him, to _hurt_ him.

But she was here now and she would not abandon him a second time. With his arms still protectively wrapped around her, she wriggled carefully under the sheets as to not disturb him until she had turned herself completely around, smiling for a moment to appreciate his handsome, sleeping features.

Riven maneuvered her smaller arm under his to drape over the toned width of his waist, her face nuzzled against the warmth chest. Eyelids heavy, she whispered a promise before surrendering to her own slumber.

* * *

Part one of three, trying to get back into writing and honestly I only ever write stuff like this when I'm heartbroken SOO YEAH. But yeah, I've been meaning to write about these two for a while because they're the true League OTP for me. Because of the short length the other parts should come very quickly, so be sure to check for updates. Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 2

**ii. "I will keep you safe."**

She's seen too much, he's learned.

The shaking and whimpered sobbing in his arms had finally quelled after some minutes. Though they were less frequent than before, Riven's nightmares were still recurring and often violently jarred her from her sleep.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into the crumpled fabric of his shirt – an exhausted statement reflecting how she felt not only because of the mental strain, but its taxing effect on him, on _them_.

Talon shook his head, running his fingers through her hair in an attempt to soothe her. "It's alright," he told her again. "I've got you, everything is fine."

He felt her nod against his chest and melted into his hold, allowing him to move her so that he could hold her properly rather than have her crumpled against him. She slowed, closed her eyes, and allowed herself to believe him.

He remained still, wanting to ensure she was soundly asleep before moving her to lay on the mattress again. Though these moments generally followed her hellish visions, he liked watching her fall asleep in his arms. It gave him a chance to watch her, which was something he would never get tired of. Despite her strength, Riven's features had always retained their femininity, and this was even more prominent when she was sleeping and undisturbed.

But the countless number of battles she'd fought had left her far from untouched. He grazed the scar on her shoulder, usually covered by the pauldron she wore. She gave a small hum at the warmth of his touch – it was one of them that proved to be quite sensitive.

The scars on her arms and legs were a bit more forgiving consisting mostly of small nicks among a few larger slashes. There were however, a few residual splotches of discoloration from the Zaunite chemical warfare, accompanying the larger chemical burn on the middle of her back.

The mark on her cheek was harder to hide, but she had initially been ashamed of the rest of her unnatural markings. When they had become lovers, she had been weary to remove her and bindings because she said her marred skin was not beautiful. It took tenderness, care, and some kisses and caresses for extra coaxing to make her believe otherwise, and now Talon took great pride in his ability to map her.

It was later that he'd learned of Riven's resentment of her body was mainly due to the thought of her scars as proof of her betrayal and cowardice as opposed to her survival. Even with the strides she'd made in carrying her exile with resolve, she would still have her moments of weakness conscious or not. There were times when she would take fully, thrashing and sobbing until he grabbed a hold of her and calmed her down, and times where she would murmur names of her fallen soldiers or pleas of help and distress in her sleep to which he could only hold her tighter until she hopefully stopped. Talon could only offer what comforts he could in hopes that throughout the course of a day, the happiness she carried would overcome the nightmares that continued to plague her.

But he was still forever grateful that she'd at the very least survived and they had found each other once again. Attending her funeral so soon after the general's disappearance had nearly torn him apart, and when he'd found her alive, he'd realized that as much as he'd tried to adhere to the principle of self-reliance, something in him had changed. He'd grown to respect the general and his daughters, and grown to care for the woman he deemed his most trusted ally.

He still needed to thank the general for putting him in the Crimson Elite unit when he would resurface, just as Riven had.

She was sound asleep now, head resting against his chest and lips parted with slow, even breaths. He held her close, cradling her smaller form and gingerly tracing her scars. Riven was strong – she did not necessarily need protecting and could fight her own battles both physical and mental. Conversely, Talon was not a soldier – he had not been trained to protect or fight in the name of another, only for himself. Her journey of exile would continue and his search would not cease, but in her he had found love and reprieve for the first time in his _existence_ , and he would be damned if he lost her a second time.

Tucking her head under his chin, he spoke a vow into the silvery hair of her crown and continued to embrace her until his own eyes had shut.

* * *

I reread and and rewrote this thing so many times during my stopovers at various airports across the counry and I still can't say I'm completely satisfied with this chapter, but now you know why I've been MIA. Hopefully I can channel enough creativity to get the final part up soon despite my crazy work week. But the quote for this chapter comes borrowed with inspiration from an amazing Talon/Riven fic on AO3 called revelation by virtaux and you should totally give that a read as well because it's very rare to find quality fic of this couple. But as always, don't forget to drop a review!


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